The Lantern Bearers

When the last of the Roman Auxiliaries leave Britain forever, they abandon the country to internal strife and the menace of invasion by Saxons. These are dark days indeed for Aquila, a young Roman officer who returns to his family villa to find all that he loves destroyed by the invaders. He escapes slavery only to learn that his sister has married a Saxon, and the knowledge fills him with bitterness.

The Silver Branch

In The Eagle of the Ninth, Marcus Flavius Aquila ventured into the wilds of Caledonia to retrieve the lost Eagle of his father's dishonored Ninth Legion. In this new story of Roman Britain, the mutilated standard is found again by Flavius, a descendant of Marcus, and his cousin Justin, a young surgeon in the Roman army. It is found at a time when conflicting loyalties, violence, and intrigue are undermining Roman rule in Britain.

The Shining Company

A rousing tale of swashbuckling adventure, The Shining Company sweeps young adults back to Britain in A.D. 600. When King Mynyddog calls for warriors to battle the Saxons, young Prosper travels to the King’s fortress to serve as shieldbearer. Deeply rooted in the true events of the Saxon invasion, this powerful historical novel is a great choice for young adults who enjoy courageous adventure.

I, Juan de Pareja

In the era of Rembrandt, Rubens, and Van Dyke, Spain had its own great painter: Diego Velasquez. His assistant is an African slave, Juan, who, by helping his master in his studio in the preparation of paints and stretching of canvasses, becomes an artist himself. Self-taught by watching his master's technique, he is torn between the need to keep his secret, for such work as the creation of art is forbidden to slaves, and the desire to reveal his own talents.

The Golden Goblet

Ranofer struggles to thwart the plottings of his evil brother, Gebu, so he can become master goldsmith like their father. Young listeners will love this exciting tale of ancient Egyptian mystery and intrigue.

The Wanderings of Odysseus: The Story of The Odyssey

The long siege is ended. Troy lies in ashes. The black ships of the Greek war-host set sail for home – but for King Odysseus of Ithaca, the return voyage holds hazards far greater than any he faced in the Trojan War. A sequel to Black Ships Before Troy, Rosemary Sutcliff’s retelling of The Odyssey transforms Homer’s complex epic poem into a traveller’s tale with a cast of men, magicians and monsters: the flesh-eating Cyclops, the deadly enchantment of Circe and Odysseus’s battle to regain his wife and long-lost kingdom.

Mossflower: Redwall, Book 2

Visit the magical animal world of Brian Jacques in this thrilling prequel to Redwall. Long before the abbey of Redwall is built, the land is known simply as Mossflower, a lush woodland and happy home to all. That is, until Tsarmina, a cruel wildcat queen who demands obedience and offers the castle's dungeon to those who defy her, comes along. Brian Jacques' tales of courageous heroes and deliciously hateful villains have captivated countless readers.

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes is the utterly beguiling tale of a ten-year-old blind orphan who has been forced into a life of crime. One fateful afternoon, Peter steals a mysterious box that contains three magical pairs of eyes. When he tries the first pair, he is instantly transported to a hidden island where he is presented with a special quest: to travel beyond the known world and rescue a lost kingdom from its treacherous ruler....

The Bronze Bow

After witnessing his father's crucifixion by Roman soldiers, Daniel bar Jamin is fired by a single passion: to avenge his father's death by driving the Roman legions from the land of Israel. Consumed by hatred, Daniel leads a dangerous life living with an outlaw band in the hills outside his village, spying and plotting, impatiently waiting to take revenge. Winner of the 1962 Newbery Medal, The Bronze Bow is the story of a boy's tormented journey.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

When a brute of a man tramples an innocent girl, apparently out of spite, two bystanders catch the fellow and force him to pay reparations to the girl's family. The brute's name is Edward Hyde. A respected lawyer, Utterson, hears this story and begins to unravel the seemingly manic behavior of his best friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and his connection with Hyde.

The Princess and the Goblin: Presented by Blackstone

The discovery of a secret stairway running to the top of the castle leads Princess Irene to a revelation even more weighty than the fiendish plans of the goblin community that miner boy Curdie has discovered. Will the Princess and Curdie understand the significance of what they have found, or will Harelip and the goblins successfully execute their evil plan?

Peter and the Starcatchers: The Starcatchers, Book 1

In an evocative and fast-paced adventure on the high seas and on a faraway island an orphan boy named Peter and his mysterious new friend, Molly, overcome bands of pirates and thieves in their quest to keep a fantastical secret safe and save the world from evil.

Little House in the Big Woods: Little House, Book 1

Told from four-year-old Laura's point of view, this story begins in 1871 in a little log cabin on the edge of the Big Woods of Wisconsin. Laura lives in the little house with her pa, her ma, her sisters Mary and Carrie, and their trusty dog, Jack. Pioneer life is sometimes hard for the family, since they must grow or catch all their own food as they get ready for the cold winter. But it is also exciting as Laura and her family celebrate Christmas with homemade toys and treats, do the spring planting, bring in the harvest, and make their first trip into town.

Beowulf: Dragon Slayer

Grendel prowled in, hating all men and all joy and hungry for human life. So swift was his attack that no man heard an outcry; but when the dawn came, thirty of Hothgar's best and noblest thanes were missing. Only Beowulf, foremost among warriors, has the strength and courage to battle with Grendel the Night-stalker....

The Sign of the Beaver

At just 12 years old, Matt must face serious challenges in the Maine wilderness while awaiting his father's return to their cabin. When he is saved from a terrifying bee swarm attack by an Indian chief and his grandson Attean, Matt gains a valuable friend in the young Indian boy.

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

A classic of faith, fortitude, and inspiration, this faithful New Testament tale combines the events of the life of Jesus with grand historical spectacle in the exciting story of Judah of the House of Hur, a man who finds extraordinary redemption for himself and his family. Judah Ben-Hur lives as a rich Jewish prince and merchant in Jerusalem at the beginning of the first century. His old friend, Messala, arrives as commanding officer of the Roman legions.

Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold

Set in the pre-Christian world of Glome on the outskirts of Greek civilization, it is a tale of two princesses: the beautiful Psyche, who is loved by the god of love himself, and Orual, Psyche's unattractive and embittered older sister, who loves Psyche with a destructive possessiveness. Her frustration and jealousy over Psyche's fate sets Orual on the troubled path of self-discovery. Lewis's last work of fiction, this is often considered his best by critics.

Publisher's Summary

When a Roman ship is wrecked on the coast of Britain, Beric, the infant son of a Roman soldier, is the only survivor. Beric grows up with a Briton tribe, but to his foster people he remained an alien, one of the Red Crests. So when bad times come, the tribe holds him responsible and casts him out.

Rejected by the only life he knew, the boy turns to his own people, but Rome too rejects him. Lost, bewildered, a captive in his father's land, he escaped from slavery only to be captured again and condemned to labor on the rowing benches of a galley of the Rhenus Fleet. Will Beric ever find ultimate happiness?

Rosemary Sutcliff provides a fine and exciting story with a background of Roman Britain that rings true from the first page to the last.

My 10 and 11 year old son and daughter listened to this in the car over the course of several weeks. They are learning about Britain in the Middle Ages, so I thought this could help bring the time period to life. Like most, my kids are captivated by fast-moving flashy movies and video games so I wasn't sure if they would connect with the older more sophisticated language and the comparatively slower pace of an audio book. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised. Every time we got in the car, I would hear, "Can we see what's happening with Beric?!?" We finished it today, and they are eager to see what our next audio adventure might be...

Rosemary Sutcliff is an excellent writer, and this book of hers is once again supported by one of the premier audio book narrators in Johanna Ward - a great combination making an excellent book. Not sure why Audible considers this part of Audible Kids - its great literature for all ages. The story lines are complex and rich, and the historical detail that is always part of her stories makes it not only interesting but also a learning opportunity. She was obviously fascinated with the period of time when the Roman empire was in decline and the Germanic people were beginning to assert themselves on the culture of the island. I highly recommend this book and also her classic the lantern bearers.

I was introduced to Rosemary Sutcliff's novels in a college class about children's literature, but after listening to all of her books offered by Audible and reading a few in print I realized her writing is more suitable for older teens, young adults and adults. She takes what little is known for sure about Ancient Britain and weaves it into a realistic story line, creating characters that tell us who they are through their actions without wasting words or using unnecessary explanatory narrative. What she doesn't do is add unbelievable chance encounters, romances, complicated plot twists, or head-case characters to keep readers going, so if you like that sort of historical fiction it may feel a little slow. Her style is very lyrical and Johanna Ward has the perfect voice for narrating her books. This story is interesting because it deals with cultures in both Ancient Britain and Ancient Rome, exploring the ugliness of slavery and the resiliency of the human spirit.